Spain face France in World Cup semi-finals
Won Group H before eliminating Austria, Portugal and Belgium
Mikel Merino scored winning goals off the bench in last 16 and quarters
European champions have reached the semi-final stage unbeaten and with only one goal conceded. Ahead of their Dallas showdown with France, FIFA recaps their route to the last four of the .
Spain had 27 attempts but could find no way past the inspired Vozinha, not even after the introduction of . Ferran Torres's effort against the crossbar was the closest they got. A draw with the World Cup debutants raised eyebrows at the time, but the Blue Sharks' ensuing feats show it in a different light now.
After his late substitute cameo against Cabo Verde, Yamal made his first World Cup start and , becoming, at 18 years and 343 days, Spain's second-youngest scorer on the finals stage. By the 24th minute had added two more, with a second-half own goal completing the scoring.
This was a tough and tetchy meeting with a Uruguay team fighting to stay in the competition yet Spain did enough to earn the win that sent them through as group winners. Alex Baena scored the only goal after 42 minutes with the help of a mistake by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
La Roja went through the gears to secure their first win in the World Cup's knockout stage since their 2010 triumph. Oyarzabal converted a couple of Marc Cucurella crosses and Pedro Porro headed his first international goal. At the other end, with his fifth consecutive clean sheet on the global stage, in World Cup matches, beating Italy's Walter Zenga's record of 517 minutes in 1990.
As Spain set a record for six successive World Cup shutouts, Mikel Merino came off the bench to slot a stoppage-time winner, set up by fellow substitute Torres. Merino's 91st-minute strike had at UEFA EURO 2024, which also followed his arrival as a substitute.
Super-sub Merino was at it again at Los Angeles Stadium, scoring with just his second touch as Spain edged a tight encounter with Belgium. Charles De Ketelaere cancelled out Fabian Ruiz's opener to end Simon's run of 650 minutes without conceding at the World Cup, but La Roja found a way once again.
So to Dallas Stadium, where France stand between Spain and a place in their first World Cup final since going all the way 16 years ago.
Sources: FIFA Official
